Industrial truck attachment



Sept. 2, 1952 E. R. BACKOFEN ET AL INDUSTRIAL TRUCK ATTACHMENT 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 5, 1950 INVENTOR.

BACKOFEN ELMER J. DUNHAM BY E. RYAN ATTY.

Sept. 2, 1952 E. R. BACKOFEN ET AL 2,609,114

' INDUSTRIAL TRUCK ATTACHMENT Filed Jan. 5, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

E. RYAN BACKOFEN ELMER J. DUNHAM ATTY.

Sept. 2, 1952 E. R. BACKOFEN ET AL INDUSTRIAL TRUCK ATTACHMENT 5 Sheetg-Sheet 8 Filed Jan. 5, 1950 7 INVENTOR. E. RYAN BACKOFEN ELMER J. DUNHAM FIG. 3

E. R. BACKOFEN ET AL Sept. 2, 1952 INDUSTRIAL TRUCK ATTACHMENT Filed Jan. 5, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG. 4

FIG. 7

FIG. 6

. INVENTOR. E. RYAN BACKOFEN BY ELMER J. DUNHAM AT TY.

E. R. BACKOFEN ET AL 2,609,114

INDUSTRIAL TRUCK ATTACHMENT Sept. 2, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 5, 1950 INVENTOR.

E. RYAN BACKOF'EN ELMER J. DUNHAM ywfflzmw ATTY.

Patented Sept. 2, 1952 LUUUI- 1'1.

INDUSTRIAL TRUCK ATTACHMENT E. Rlyan Backofen and Elmer J. Dunham, Battle Creek, Mich, assignors to Clark Equipment Company, Buchanan, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application anuary 5, 1950, Serial No. 136,878

2 Claims.

This invention relates to industrial truck attachments and, more particularly, is concerned with an attachment for an industrial truck of the lift type, wherein a clamp mechanism is mounted on the vertical mast of the truck and is arranged for clamping action about objects to be lifted, such as bales of cotton, Waste paper, rags, or the like, which mechanism, in addition to the clamping features, also is capable of rotating so that the load which is picked up by the truck can be set on end or on its side, as the case may be, by actuation of this rotating mechamsm.

One of the primary objects of the present invention is to provide a substantial clamp mechanism of extended lateral movement so that it may accommodate a relatively wide range of loads to be lifted and/or rotated. This is provided by mounting upon the mast, a frame mechanism supported on the conventional bumper bars of the load supporting carriage. Upon this frame is mounted a rotating mechanism, including a forwardly projecting plate having channels formed therein for receiving the sliding arms of a pair of laterally movable clamping jaws. These jaws are adapted to be actuated by hydraulic cylinders, or equivalent means, for moving them toward or away from each other into and out of clamping engagement.

Between the jaw supporting plate and the frame member, there is provided rotating mechanism, preferably operated through a hydraulic motor or the like, whereby the entire clamping mechanism can be rotated a full 360 degrees, so that any load can be picked up and deposited in any desired position. The rotating mechanism per se, forms the subject matter of the copending application of E. Ryan Backofen, but in conjunction with the clamping mechanism in the present invention, forms an extremely useful attachment for industrial trucks of this type, particularly in connection with the handling of cotton in compresses, warehouses, and for the handling of similar commodities, such as paper,

2 bumper bars of the vehicle, whereby upon the disconnection of the hydraulic hose lines, the entire mechanism can be dismounted from the truck and the truck restored to a conventional fork lift truck.

' Other features and advantages of the present invention will appear more fully from the following detailed description which, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, will disclose to those skilled in the art the particular construction and operation of a preferred form of the present invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a portion of a fork truck having the present clamping and rotating mechanism applied thereto. I

Figure 2 is a detail perspective view of a portion of the upright assembly and rotating mechanism.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the attachment.

' Figure 4 is a front elevational view of the mechanism shown in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a sectional view through the rotating and clamp supporting mechanism.

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 6+6 of Figure 4.

Figure 7. is a sectional view taken substan tially on line T1 of Figure 4; and p Figure 8 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 8-8 of Figure 4.

Referring now in detail to the drawings an industrial truck of conventional type is illus. trated at 5, having the front drive wheels 6 between which is located the upright channels I mounted upon the forward end of the frame of the truck and having .disposed therein the tele scoping channel members 8, which members are adapted to be raised and lowered within the fixed member T'by means of the piston 9 mounted in I the hydraulic cylinder Hi, cradled between the lower ends of the uprights.

The upper end of the piston 9 is provided with a conventional type of cross-head carrying sprockets (not shown) over which are'trained the chains i2 which, at one end, are anchored to the truck frame and, at the opposite end, are connected to the load supporting carriage, indicated generally at E3 in Figure 3.

This carriage is provided with suitably spaced rollers guided for vertical movement within the inner telescoping uprights 8 and is thereby adapted to move upwardly within such uprights as these uprights are moved upwardly out of the fixed uprights I. This type of construction is conventional in trucks of this type, and it is not believed that further description thereof is necessary.

Considering now in more detail Figure 3, it will be noted that this carriage or frame includes two transversely extending, vertically spaced bumper bars l4 and I5 at the forward end thereof, mounted upon a plate 16 secured to the carriage and forming spaced supporting means for the plate I3 of the rotating mechanism. The plate l3 of this mechanism is provided with suitable brackets l8 which engage over the upper edge of the upper bumper bar l5 and with additional brackets l9 clamping under the lower edge of this bumper bar for holding the clamp mechanism, indicated generally at 20, in posi-' tion on the bumper bars. The lower bar l4 forms an abutment for taking the overhanging thrust imposed by the clamp and its associated load.

Considering now the clamp mechanism in detail, there is provided two clamping jaws or arms 22 which project forwardly from the supporting plate member l1, comprising the rotatable plate of the rotating mechanism. The jaws 22 are provided with T-shaped slides 23 arranged in vertically spaced telescoping relationship to slide laterally within suitable ways 24 formed in the supporting frame mounted on the rotating mechanism-l3. A suitable front cover plate 25 encloses the slides and ways but is removed in Figure 1 for purposes of clarity. The clamp jaws are preferably ribbed for reinforcement and have extending lug portions 26 at the rear ends thereof which are joined to the slides 23 to form rigid connections thereto.

Mounted upon the plate I! are a pair of opposed hydraulic cylinders 21 and 28 which are fixedly secured to the plate I! and are provided with extending piston arms 29 and 30 respectively connected, as shown at 32 in Figure 3, to a boss member 33 carried by the jaws, whereby upon introduction of hydraulic pressure into the cylinders the pistons tend to move the jaws laterally toward and away from each other to provide the desired clamping action.

The plate vll, as will be noted. in Figure 5, is provided with a trunnion mounting comprising a distributor member 34 loosely rotatable in a support 35 centered within the plate 36 mounted upon the main supporting plate l3. The plate 36 may be bolted or otherwise suitably secured to the face of the plate l3 and is provided with a bracket 31, which, as shown in more detail in Figure'l, forms a support for the pin 38 having the roller 38 rotatably journalled upon the upper end thereof and bearing against the inwardly turned flange 40 of. an annular ring member 42 bolted in fixed relationship to the plate IT. This roller forms a support for holding the upper end of the plate assembly I! which carries the clamp mechanism 20, against movement away from the plate l3.

As will be noted in Figures 4 and 6, there are additional roller members 43 provided adjacent the lower part of the plate H, which rollers are carried upon pins44 supported in brackets 45 welded in spaced relationship on opposite sides of the vertical center of the plate and which bear against the face of the plate I! to rotatably support the plate against inward thrusts induced by the load carried by the clamp arms.

In order to support the weight of the clamp assembly, additional rollers 46 are provided on opposite sides of the rollers illustrated in detail in Figure 7, as shown in Figure 4, which are placed in a horizontal position and bear against the inner annular-surface of the ring member 42 for accommodating the weight of the plate I! and its associated mechanism during rotation thereof.

The rollers 46, as shown in Figure 8, are also carried by brackets such as indicated at 48, secured to the centering plate 36 carried by the support plate I 3. The ring member 42, which is rigidly secured tothe rotatable plate I1, is provided with a large sprocket gear member or bull gear 49, rigidly secured thereto and adapted to have a chain 50 trained thereover. The chain 50, as illustrated in Figure 2, also passes beneath an adjustable idler gear 53 and the driving pinion 54, the idler gear 53 being mounted upon a slidable bracket member 55, having pin and slot connections, as indicated at 56, to the fixed plate [3, whereby the idler gear can be moved for adjusting the tension of the driving chain 50.

The sprocket 54 is driven from a shaft 51 extending into a hydraulic motor, indicated generally at 58, which hydraulic motor has the hydraulic connections 59 and 60 for operating the pump mechanism 62 which drives a worm gear carried Within the housing 58. This type of hydraulic drive is of conventional form and requires no detailed description. This assembly is mounted upon the same support that carries the plate I3, so that it moves vertically with the plate but, of course, does not rotate.

Surrounding the chain and bull gear 49 and extending about the sprocket 54 is a guard member 63, which guard member prevents dirt or foreign materials from getting into the driving mechanism and which, preferably, includes a dust plate 64 extending into the space between the end of the flange 63 and the periphery of the rotatable plate I! to house the bull gear 49. Suitable brackets, such as indicated at 65, serve to anchor'this enclosure to the fixed plate l3.

Considering again the details of the clamp conwhich the T-shaped slides 23 are arranged forsliding movement, are provided by parallel'extension members 70 and 12 secured at their rear ends to the plate I! as by means of the studs 13, and are adapted to receive at their forward ends the plates 25 which are screwed thereto by means of the studs 14, thereby forming a front and rear closure plate construction with the divided or separated ways therein, the lateral ends of this enclosure being open for permitting the relative lateral movement of the slides 23. In Figure 1, this plate has been removed in order to show the details of the slide mechanism.

Suitable hose lines for the actuation of the hydraulic cylinders 21 and 28 are preferablyv trained over the top of the uprights, these hose lines being indicated at 15 in Figure l, and. along with the hose lines 59 and 60, leading to the rotating motor mechanism 58, are extended over the cross-head of the piston and then downwardly to the carriage consisting of the plate I3 mounted upon the fork bars of the vertically movable frame.

The hoses for the hydraulic cylinders 21 and 28 preferably come through fixed terminal blocks 16 carried by the plate 36 secured to the fixed plate l3 adjacent the roller members 46, and'thence, through tubular conduits 11, are led into radial ports 18 and 19 formed in the trunnion support 35 carrying the distributor 34. From this point hydraulic pressure is led through axial ports and 82 to the forward end of the distributor, from whence connections are made through the outlets 83 and 84 to the cylinders 21 and 28, these con-- nections being indicated generally by the conduits 85 and 86 in Figure l.

The cylinders 21 and 28 are connected in parallel; that is, fluid under pressure is led from the hose connections 15 through the distributor 34 and out through the outlets 83 and 84 to corresponding ends of the cylinders, so that the two clamp arms 22 move in unison either toward each other or away from each other, this being under the control of the operator mounted upon the vehicle 5.

Similarly, the operator also controls the admission of fluid to either side of the hydraulic pump 62 for controlling the direction of rotation of the driving pinion 54 and, consequently, the direction of rotation of the rotatable plate I! and the associated clamps.

It is apparent that with this type of construction, the clamps can be operated to be moved outwardly beyond the confines of an article to be clamped and then moved inwardly to clamp the article, after which the load supporting carriage can be either raised or lowered and the entire clamp assembly can be rotated in either direction to place the load in the desired position.

We are aware that various changes may be made in connection with either the clamping mechanism or the rotating mechanism without in any way departing from the underlying concept of providing a laterally adjustable clamping mechanism which can be rotated in either direction to pick up, raise, lower, or turn a load intov any desired position, and we therefore do not intend to be limited except as defined by the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. For use with an industrial truck having a movable load supporting; carriage, the combination of a first vertical plate adapted to be secured to the load supporting carriage, a rotatable vertical frame including a, second plate spaced from said first plate, clamp arms mounted on said rotatable frame for movement toward and away from each other, hydraulic means carried by said rotatable frame and being adapted to efiect movement of said clamp arms, a support disposed intermediate said first and second plates and secured to said first plate, a cylindrical distributor rotatably mounted in said support and projecting through said second plate, the axis of said distributor coinciding with the axis of rotation of said rotatable frame, and connecting means between the end of said distributor which projects through said second plate and said hydraulic means.

2. For use with an industrial truck having a movable load supporting carriage, the combination of a first vertical plate adapted to be secured to the load supporting carriage, a rotatable vertical frame including a second plate spaced from said first plate, clamp arms mounted on said rotatable frame for movement toward and away from each other, hydraulic means carried by said rotatable frame and being adapted to effect movement of said clamp arms, a support disposed intermediate said first and second plates and secured to said first plate, a cylindrical distributor loosely rotatable in said support and projecting through said second plate, the axis of said distributor coinciding with the axis of rotation of said rotatable frame, connecting means between the end of said distributor which projects through said second plate and said hydraulic means, an annular ring disposed intermediate said first and second plates and secured to said second plate, said ring having an inwardly extending flange portion adjacent said first plate, first brackets secured to said first plate intermediate said first and second plates, rollers mounted on radial axes REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,878,994 Abbe Sept. 27, 1932 2,287,469 Cochran June 23, 19l2v 2,335,572 Schroeder Nov. 30, 1943 2,457,366 Guerin Dec. 28, 1948 2,475,367 Avery July 5, 1949 2,507,583 We1lman May 16, 1950 2,509,023 Vogel et a1 May 23, 1950 2,522,128 Lehmann Sept. 12, 1950 

